The Best 60-Day Workout Plan To Gain Muscle

The journey to gaining muscle mass is about more than just lifting weights—it’s about following a consistent, well-structured plan that’s designed to progressively challenge your body. I developed a 60-day workout plan to gain muscle and guide you through a comprehensive approach to building size. This program is crafted to push your limits while allowing for adequate recovery, which is essential to building muscle effectively. Over the next 60 days, you’ll follow a series of workouts focusing on strength, hypertrophy, and targeted accessory movements that support balanced growth across all major muscle groups.

The foundation of this plan lies in progressive overload: gradually increasing the demand on your muscles by adding weight, reps, or intensity each week. By strategically rotating exercises, we can continually challenge your muscles in new ways, sparking growth and keeping your routine engaging. Each week, you’ll have specific workouts that target key muscle groups with a balance of compound exercises to build strength and isolation movements to refine and shape.

Proper recovery is as vital as the workouts themselves. We’ll incorporate rest days to give your muscles the time they need to rebuild and grow, and I’ll provide guidance on stretching, nutrition, and hydration to maximize results. Committing to these principles will help you build the strength, size, and definition you aim for over the next 60 days.

Let’s dive into the ultimate 60-day workout to gain muscle and strength.

The 60-Day Workout to Gain Muscle: Overview

• Day 1: Chest & Triceps
• Day 2: Back & Biceps
• Day 3: Legs & Abs
• Day 4: Shoulders & Traps
• Day 5: Full-Body Power Circuit
• Day 6: Active Rest / Cardio (Low-Intensity)
• Day 7: Complete Rest

You’ll progress by increasing either weight or reps each week, ensuring your muscles are continuously challenged. We’ll go through the first week in detail, which you’ll repeat with adjustments in weight and reps.

Day 1: Chest & Triceps

What You Need: Get a set of dumbbells, a barbell, a workout bench, and cables ready. This workout focuses on building mass in your chest and strengthening your triceps with a mix of compound and isolation movements.

The Routine:

1. Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets of 8 reps

1. Lie flat on your back on a workout bench.
2. Brip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Lower the bar to your chest with control.
4. Press it back up.

2. Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 sets of 10 reps

1. Set a bench to a 30-45 degree angle.
2. Press the dumbbells up, focusing on activating your upper chest.

3. Dumbbell Flyes – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Lie flat on your back on a workout bench.
2. Hold the dumbbells above you.
3. Slowly lower them to the side in a controlled arc before bringing them back up.

4. Cable Crossover – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Set the cables to shoulder height.
2. Pull the cables together in front of you in a hugging motion.
3. Contract your chest at the end.

5. Skull Crushers – 3 sets of 10 reps

1. Lie flat on your back on a workout bench.
2. Hold a barbell above you.
3. Bend at the elbows to bring the bar close to your forehead.
4. Press the bar back up.

Day 2: Back & Biceps

What You Need: This workout requires a pull-up bar, a barbell, a set of dumbbells, and a cable machine. The routine emphasizes compound lifts for back thickness and width, with isolation exercises to build bicep strength and endurance.

The Routine:

1. Deadlift – 4 sets of 8 reps

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Bend at the hips, keep your back flat, and lift the bar off the ground by driving through your heels.
4. Fully extend your hips and knees at the top.
5. Lower the bar with control.

2. Pull-ups – 4 sets of as many reps as possible

1. Hang onto a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
3. Lower yourself back down with control.

3. Barbell Rows – 3 sets of 10 reps

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip.
2. Bend at the hips, keeping your back flat.
3. Pull the barbell to your lower rib cage, engaging your lats.
4. Lower it back down.

4. Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Sit at a cable machine with a V-handle.
2. Pull the weight toward your torso.
3. Keep your back straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull.

5. Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 12 reps per arm

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your palms facing forward.
2. Curl one arm up, keeping your elbow close to your body.
3. Lower and switch arms.

6. Cable Bicep Curls – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Stand facing a cable machine with the handle attached at the bottom.
2. Curl the handle toward your chest, squeezing your biceps at the top.
3. Lower back down.

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Day 3: Legs & Abs

What You Need: Prepare a barbell, a set of dumbbells, and a stability ball. This leg workout targets your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, with ab exercises to build core stability and strength.

The Routine:

1. Squats – 4 sets of 8 reps

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across your shoulders.
2. Lower your body by bending at the knees and hips, keeping your chest up.
3. Push through your heels to stand back up.

2. Lunges – 3 sets of 10 reps per leg

1. Hold dumbbells at your sides.
2. Take a step forward with one leg.
3. Lower your back knee toward the ground.
4. Push back up to the starting position.

3. Leg Press – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Sit in a leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform.
2. Push the platform away from you, extending your legs.
3. Return to the start position with control.

4. Hamstring Curls – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Lie face down on a hamstring curl machine with your ankles under the padded bar.
2. Curl the pad up toward your glutes, then slowly extend your legs back down.

5. Stability Ball Crunches – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Sit on a stability ball with your feet on the ground.
2. Roll forward until your back is supported.
3. Crunch your torso up, contracting your abs.
4. Slowly lower back down.

6. Leg Raises – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Lie on the floor with your hands under your glutes and legs extended.
2. Lift your legs up until they are perpendicular to the ground.
3. Lower them with control.

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Day 4: Shoulders & Traps

What You Need: Dumbbells, a barbell, and cables. This shoulder workout builds upper-body width and enhances the traps, creating a stronger, more balanced physique.

The Routine:

1. Overhead Shoulder Press – 4 sets of 8 reps

1. Stand with a barbell at shoulder height, grip slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Press the bar overhead until your arms are fully extended.
3. Lower back down.

2. Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Hold dumbbells at your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
2. Lift your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground.
3. Lower back down.

3. Front Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs with palms facing your body.
2. Raise one arm at a time to shoulder height, alternating arms with each rep.

4. Rear Delt Flyes – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Bend at the hips with dumbbells in each hand, palms facing each other.
2. Lift your arms out to the side, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
3. Lower.

5. Barbell Shrugs – 4 sets of 15 reps

1. Hold a barbell in front of you with an overhand grip.
2. Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears.
3. Slowly lower back down.

6. Face Pulls – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Attach a rope to a cable machine at eye level.
2. Pull the rope toward your face, keeping your elbows high and squeezing your traps at the end.

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Day 5: Full-Body Power Circuit

What You Need: Grab a set of dumbbells, a kettlebell, and a mat. This circuit workout engages multiple muscle groups, focusing on explosive power and cardiovascular endurance.

The Routine:

1. Kettlebell Swings – 3 sets of 15 reps

1. Hold a kettlebell with both hands.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Swing the kettlebell back between your legs.
4. Thrust your hips forward to bring it up to chest level.

2. Burpees – 3 sets of 10 reps

1. Start in a standing position.
2. Drop into a squat.
3. Kick your feet back into a plank.
4. Perform a pushup.
5. Jump your feet forward.
6. Explode up into a jump.

3. Dumbbell Thrusters – 3 sets of 12 reps

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
2. Squat down.
3. As you stand up, press the dumbbells overhead in one motion.

4. Mountain Climbers – 3 sets of 30 seconds

1. Start in a high plank with your body in a straight line.
2. Alternate driving each knee toward your chest as quickly as possible.

5. Russian Twists – 3 sets of 20 reps

1. Sit on the floor with knees bent, holding a dumbbell with both hands.
2. Twist your torso side-to-side, tapping the dumbbell on each side.

6. High Knees – 3 sets of 30 seconds

1. Stand tall.
2. Alternate lifting each knee up toward your chest as fast as possible.

Phase 2: Strength & Growth (Weeks 5-8)

In weeks 5 through 8, you’ll keep the same muscle group focus but increase weight and slightly reduce reps to enhance strength and size. Follow the same weekly structure, adding more intensity, challenging your muscles with heavier lifts, and adjusting rest times to stimulate growth.

Phase 3: Advanced Gains (Weeks 9-12)

For the final phase, aim to hit your peak. Continue using the same split, but further increase weights, aiming for lower rep ranges and adding supersets to boost muscle endurance and build final definition.

Tyler Read, BSc, CPT